On July 9, 1776, an Eaton's Neck lawyer named John Sloss Hobart voted to approve the Declaration of Independence as a member of the New York Provincial Congress. He then directed New York's delegates in Philadelphia to join the other colonies in declaring independence. On Thursday, October 29, Brian O'Connor tells that story a few miles from Eaton's Neck, in the Reichert Planetarium Theater at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
The museum is advertising Halloween this week, but its larger fall project is the country's 250th anniversary. A planetarium show, a lecture series and a mansion exhibition all come from that thread. Up on the bell tower, a restored ship-shaped weathervane marks a repair program the county describes as multi-year. Halloween gets two days. The anniversary programming and the restoration work run through the end of the year and beyond.
Hobart on October 29, American Astronomy Every Weekend
O'Connor wrote Death by Fire and Ice: The Steamboat Lexington Calamity. At the lecture he presents his forthcoming 2026 book on Hobart, who lived from 1738 to 1805. In the museum's summary, Hobart later helped draft New York's first state constitution and went on to serve as a U.S. Senator and a federal judge. The museum calls his legacy "deeply connected to Eaton's Neck and Long Island's Revolutionary history." Tickets are sold through the museum's America 250 page, which lists no price.
Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. bring a second anniversary piece. American Astronomy was created by the Reichert Planetarium's own staff to mark the 250th, and it covers "the people, discoveries, and ideas that shaped our nation's relationship with the sky." It is recommended for ages 10 and up. The museum's featured events page says it runs "Through November," which makes the weekend of November 28–29 the last one on the calendar.
Downstairs in the Memorial Wing, the Railroad Money
The museum's founding fortune is the subject of the current mansion exhibition. Bonds, Steel and Steam: Forging the Vanderbilt Empire fills the lower level of the Memorial Wing. It covers the Vanderbilt generations' wealth and influence during the Gilded Age and the Railway Mania, including how the family took control of existing railroads. The display is mostly paper and photographs. It shows selected bonds and stocks along with photographs of family members, railroads and trains. TBR News Media's coverage of the opening ran a Currier & Ives print, "The great race for the Western stakes," from the Library of Congress.
The curator is Kira Diaz, a Stony Brook student. The exhibition was made possible by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Semiquincentennial Summer Fellowship Program, which ties it to the 250th anniversary. It opened August 18 and runs through the end of December. Outside, Wendy Klemperer's outdoor sculpture exhibition also runs through December 2026.
The Ship on the Bell Tower
The mansion's skyline changed last winter. Huntington Now reported in December 2025 that a large weathervane by Samuel Yellin was back on the dome of the bell tower. The piece is a three-masted ship under full sail, cutting through waves, with sea serpents following and dolphin forms sitting on a globe of stars. Wind, rain and salt air had corroded it, and the museum took it down and put it in storage four decades ago.
According to Huntington Now, the restoration was funded by an $86,489 grant the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation awarded in 2022. The work was done by Spirit Ironworks in Bayport, run by blacksmith siblings Rachel and Timothy Miller. In that article, executive director Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan called the weathervane "the signature of his beautiful summer home." She thanked Milcon Construction Corp. for reinstalling it and credited H2M architects + engineers and the county's Public Works and Parks departments.
The weathervane is one finished piece of a much larger effort. In May 2025, Suffolk County announced $3.05 million in improvements for the museum and planetarium. The largest share was $2 million for facades, with $550,000 for drainage, $300,000 for the planetarium and $200,000 to rewire historic buildings. At a May 4, 2026 Suffolk County Legislature committee meeting, Ken Phalen of the county's Public Works department said facade Phase 1A was underway while Phases 2, 3 and 4 were being planned. He described the job as "a multi-year project," with "a tremendous amount of detail" on "the type of architecture you don't normally see." He also said netting was still on the building.
The next round is still at the proposal stage. LI Parks reported that resolutions introduced April 21, 2026 outline more than $4.7 million in bond-funded work:
- $1.5 million for the planetarium, including a new roof to protect the dome and seating
- $1.1 million for facade restoration on the Bell Tower and the Hall of Fishes
- $750,000 for driveways, gutters and catch basins
- $650,000 for waterproofing, roofing and drainage
- $525,000 to restore the 1914 boathouse
- $250,000 to plan reconstruction of the seawall
The resolutions name no contractors, timelines or start dates. They do cite more than 110,000 visitors a year. The museum's visitor page lists general admission to the Mansion, the galleries, the Hall of Fishes, the planetarium exhibits, and the grounds and gardens, with no construction notices.
Halloween Gets Two Days
Halloween fits into all of this in a short window. The Halloween Boo! Story Stroll & Craft for preschoolers and an accompanying adult runs Friday, October 30, from 10 to 11 a.m. It costs $20 per child or $18 for a member child. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and the planetarium has set up the evening as an age-graded lineup.
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | Show | Recommended ages |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 p.m. | Haunted Skies | 8+ |
| 8:00 p.m. | Laser Fright Light | 8+ |
| 9:30 p.m. | Laser The Weeknd | 14+ |
The museum's staff created Haunted Skies, which covers the history of Halloween along with "spooky constellations and mysterious phenomena." Laser Fright Light is set to songs including "Thriller," "Monster Mash" and "Purple People Eater." The 9:30 show runs through "Blinding Lights," "Can't Feel My Face" and "Starboy." The regular price structure on the planetarium schedule applies. Evening tickets are $14 for adults, $12 for students with ID and seniors, and $10 for children 12 and under. Laser shows are $20.
Two Weeks of Cars, Raptors and Strings
Halloween is over the next morning. On Sunday, November 1, the Mustang-Shelby Car Club of Long Island and the Long Island Thunderbirds bring Mustangs, Shelbys and Thunderbirds to the estate from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show is included in general admission at no extra charge. The rest of the first half of November follows this schedule:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Raptor Day. Live, rescued birds of prey at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $20 for nonmembers, $10 for members and children 12 and under, and $5 for member children, with general admission included. The event runs rain or shine in the Celebration Tent and benefits Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation, which brings unreleasable rescued raptors.
- Thursday, Nov. 12: John Lazzaro lecture. The author and photographer covers the architecture of the tuberculosis sanatorium, 7 to 8 p.m. Guests pay $10, and museum members attend free.
- Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13–14: Owl Prowl with CEED. Led by environmental educator Karrthik Pitchayan. Admission is $20 for guests and members and free for children under 5. Check the event page for the start time.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Sound Meditation with Amanda Gandolfo. 9:30 to 11 a.m., $40 for guests or $36 for members. It is already listed as sold out.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: Strings Under the Stars. Long Island Chamber Music performs in the planetarium at 5 and 7 p.m., with tickets sold through the event page.
On weekends, these events fit around the planetarium's regular schedule. Public daytime shows run Tuesdays and Fridays through Sundays. Daytime tickets are $24 for adults, $21 for students with ID and seniors, and $19 for children 12 and under, and they include general admission. Tours of the mansion's living quarters cost extra. A daytime ticket for the 3:00 p.m. American Astronomy show also covers the Memorial Wing exhibition downstairs and the grounds. On November 1 and November 7, it includes the car show and Raptor Day too.
If you'd like a local perspective on the Vanderbilt's restoration and the other long-term projects along the Centerport waterfront, Scott Van Son is always glad to talk them through. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
